Information Technology

February 2017

MyRU


Radford Home
DoIT Website
Technology Support
Policies and Standards
DoIT News Archives

Division of Information Technology
P.O. Box 6888
Radford, VA 24142
Phone: (540) 831-5173
Fax: (540) 831-6217
Email: cio@radford.edu



Banner Tip
If a particular Banner process (jobsub) contains a set of parameters that you consistently use, save yourself time and save your parameters. In the process control form, before clicking the "Save" icon to submit your jobsub, check the box next to "Save Parameter Set As." The next time you run this job, your parameters will appear.



DoIT Logo

Division of Information Technology
Radford University

Desire 2 Learn (D2L) user interface upgrade, change

Desire 2 Learn (D2L) is getting a facelift! On May 9, you will notice a new look and feel. The change will include a cleaner interface, new fonts and updated icons.

new D2L interfaceThe new user interface, called the Daylight Experience, features a responsive design. This means it adapts to different screen sizes and looks great on laptops, tablets and smartphones. Faculty and students will find it easier to access the system from any device.

Although common workflows will remain the same, users will notice several interface changes. These are designed to make the experience more consistent and visually appealing for students, as well as easier for faculty to create and update courses.

Training will begin mid-March and will continue throughout the summer, with several information sessions scheduled during May Our Turn (May 8-12).

For more information, visit the Daylight page in the Brightspace Community or contact Academic Technology at acadcomp@radford.edu or 831-7521.


Computer replacement cycle open house is March 21-27

The Division of Information Technology (DoIT) strives to replace full-time faculty and staff computers on a regular basis, refreshing laptops every 3-4 years and desktops every 4-5 years.

Each year, DoIT identifies full-time faculty due for a computer replacement and invites them to an open house to view the available models and select the system that best meets their technology needs.

This year's computer open house is scheduled for March 21-27. Both Lenovo and Apple machines will be on display. Laptop, desktop and tablet configurations will be available. Academic Technologies staff will be on hand to answer your questions and assist in the selection process.

Around the first week in March, an email with specific details will be sent to users due for a replacement. Once selections are made and orders placed, training and rollout of these systems will begin in May and run through August.

Please contact Academic Technologies at acadcomp@radford.edu or 831-7521 with any questions or for more information.


Faculty data sheets replacement

The faculty data sheets used to display faculty information from their departmental website is being replaced this spring and summer.

The new faculty pages will have a modern design and easy-to-use interface for faculty to update their information and upload photos. The new web page will have the capability to retrieve faculty schedules and information from other systems and to allow faculty and assistants to edit the information displayed.

The Web and Mobile Technologies team is looking for departments to be part of the pilot group to use the new process and provide feedback and suggestions before it is rolled out to the rest of campus.

If you are interested in being involved in the pilot group, please contact Director of Web and Mobile Technologies Jackie McNabb at jamcnabb@radford.edu.


Coming soon: Cognos Analytics

Enterprise Systems is in the final preparation and testing of Cognos upgrades from version 10 to Cognos Analytics.

Campus users will see changes in the user interface along with new functionality. Users who have been a part of the testing find that the new interface is intuitive, and they are excited about the new features.

In conjunction with the upgrade, the Enterprise Reporting team will schedule open sessions to introduce the new interface and new functionality to Cognos users. The campus community will also have opportunities to schedule one-on-one sessions with Enterprise Reporting to learn more and to address any reporting concerns.

A go-live date, along with scheduled sessions, will be announced to Cognos users via email in the coming weeks.


Spring technology training schedule

Academic Technologies offers a number of workshops each month for faculty and staff. If you need training that is not included on this list or would like to request a one-on-one, group or custom technology workshop, contact Academic Technologies at 831-7521 or acadcomp@radford.edu.

You may also visit the Solution Library at https://www.radford.edu/onestop for a variety of online tutorials, Quick Reference Guides, how-to videos and articles to assist you with campus technologies.

Visit our training website to register and see an up-to-date listing of the technology courses offered.

March

Date

Time Location
Windows: Windows 10 Introduction Fri., Mar. 3 10-11:30
a.m.
Walker 216
Internet Native Banner General Navigation Tues., Mar. 7 9-11 a.m. Walker 216
D2L: Consulting Wed., Mar. 8 1-3 p.m. Walker 216
iPad: Deployment Fri., Mar. 10 2-3 p.m. Walker 216
Intro to Banner Finance and eVA Tues., Mar. 14 8:30 a.m.-
3:30 p.m.
Walker 216
Office 365/One Drive Introduction Thurs., Mar. 16 10-11:30 a.m. Walker 216
D2L: Consulting Fri., Mar. 17 2-4 p.m. Walker 216
Office: Excel-Tips and Tricks Mon., Mar. 20 10-11:30
a.m.
Walker 216
Technology Tips for Administrative Assistants Wed., Mar. 29 9–10:30 a.m. Walker 216

Security tip: tax refund fraud

It's tax season, and the IRS has been issuing regular security tips to help consumers be aware of the big threat of refund theft and social security number (SSN) exposure. Those very useful tips are here:

https://www.irs.gov/uac/irs-security-awareness-tax-tips

Tax refund fraud was expected to hit $20 billion in 2016. It results from a combination of factors: careless professional preparers, SSN exposures from other sites that allow fraudsters to file taxes on your behalf or targeted malware on home computers.

If you prepare your own taxes on your personal computer, you need to be especially careful about patching and antivirus and perhaps not using that computer for web browsing while the taxes are being prepared. There are exploits across the web in the form of advertising frames on legitimate websites that install malware and backdoors to siphon personal information.

Once your taxes are finished, save those files to a CD or backup drive and file them physically with your taxes; do not leave them on your computer for your next virus exposure.

Query your tax preparer about their security procedures, and do not use a preparer who emails you the tax forms when they are finished (email is cleartext, the mail passes through many networks, and the attachment sits on their mail provider's servers).

Your preparer should have a security protocol for handling and filing your taxes that ensures they take your personal data seriously. Online access to any file/drop site should always be https (SSL/TLS) with a username and password (set a secure password!).

If you file online and the IRS thinks you have already submitted your taxes, then fraud has occurred. You should quickly contact the IRS, file an IRS Identity Theft Affidavit and a local police report. Your State Tax Agency and Attorney General should be notified. In Virginia, the applicable sites for this subject are:

VA State Tax Site for Identity Theft

VA Attorney General's page on Identity Theft


Project management best practice: Identifying project stakeholders

Project stakeholders are simply defined as any individual, group or organization that may impact or be impacted by the activities or outcome of a project. It is important to identify stakeholders at the beginning of the project and manage them throughout the project's life cycle.

Project stakeholders can include:

  • Internal and external individuals, groups or organizations
  • Contributors to the project that provide products or services
  • Recipients of products or services provided by projects
  • Individuals or groups that are affected by how the project is done

In higher education, some common stakeholders are faculty, staff, students, alumni, retirees, donors, vendors and the surrounding community. The role of project stakeholders should not be underestimated because at every level there is potential for positive, as well negative, influence over other stakeholders and project results. Once identified, you can begin work on a communication plan that addresses specific needs, expectations and level of commitment.

graphic describing project stakeholders

Meet the DoIT Staff

Patricia ThompsonPatricia Thompson
Lead Integrations Architect


How long have you been employed in the Division of Information Technology at Radford University? Since October 2016

Family: Husband and one son

Hometown: Le Plata, Maryland

Education: Bachelor of Science in business/marketing from University of Richmond
Bachelor of Science in information systems from Virginia Commonwealth University

Interests/Hobbies: Reading, gardening and boxing for fitness

Favorite vacation destination: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Favorite part of your job: Using a wide variety of technologies to create effective data integrations and solutions for departments all across the campus, and getting to learn many new things as part of the job.